Customer Journey in digital payments

Brazilian financial services and acquiring company
São Paulo, Brazil - Dec / Jul 2022

Service Design | Journey Enhancement | Performance Management

Introduction

The acquiring sector in Brazil has undergone significant evolution, driven by the rise of fintechs, Banco Central regulations, and the popularization of new payment methods like Pix. The market, once dominated by a few large players, has become more dynamic and competitive, requiring companies to adopt a more customer-centric approach to differentiate themselves.

In this context, user experience has become a critical factor, directly impacting retention and loyalty. Clients sought not only competitive rates but also integrated solutions, efficient support, and smoother digital journeys. With the growth of e-commerce and omnichannel sales, the need for simplified processes—from onboarding to payment management—became even more apparent.

The Project

The project was developed for a financial services company, focusing on optimizing the customer journey in payment solutions. In a highly competitive and regulated market, user experience not only defines the brand perception but also directly influences customer retention and loyalty.

The challenge was to deeply and systematically understand how customers interacted with the offered services, from the first contact to full adoption and recurring use of the solutions, mapping barriers, identifying opportunities, and generating strategic recommendations to elevate the user experience to a new level.

Client interviews

Users from different profiles were interviewed, ranging from small merchants to large retail chains, exploring their pain points, expectations, and how their experiences shaped their relationship with the brand.

  • The main frustrations and challenges in using the services were mapped, from the onboarding process to post-sale support.

  • The criteria for customer choice and decision-making were investigated, understanding what motivated them to adopt or abandon a solution.

  • The experience was compared with direct and indirect competitors to identify patterns, benchmarks, and differentiation opportunities.

  • An emotional journey was created, analyzing moments of frustration and delight throughout the service usage.

Internal Analysis

In parallel with customer interviews, a detailed mapping of the company's internal processes was conducted to understand:

  • How teams perceived the main challenges of the service and whether these challenges aligned with the customers' pain points.

  • The structure of customer support channels, identifying pain points that impacted the experience.

  • The performance indicators of the customer journey, such as average response time, NPS (Net Promoter Score), and conversion rates.

Heuristic evaluation

To consolidate the findings, a heuristic evaluation of the main digital touchpoints was conducted, including the website, mobile app, and physical devices used in the payment experience. Additionally, an in-depth benchmarking was performed, comparing practices adopted by key competitors.

The insights from this analysis helped identify opportunities to improve the usability of the digital platforms and highlighted the need for a more user-centered design approach.

Results

Based on the findings, a strategic roadmap was developed with recommendations to transform the customer journey. Some of the suggested initiatives included:

  • Digital Onboarding Review: Streamlining communication and incorporating interactive tutorials to reduce the customer’s learning curve.

  • Optimization of Service Flows: Ensuring better alignment between different channels to reduce response times.

  • Improvement of Payment Device Interface and Experience: Making the payment devices more intuitive and accessible.

  • Post-Sale Journey Review: Strengthening communication of ongoing value to reinforce customer retention